"Leak of Investigation Information on Late Lee Sun-kyun" Prosecution Service Investigator Sentenced to One Year in Prison, Suspended for Two Years [Star Issue]

*This content was translated by AI.

A Prosecution Service investigator who was transferred to trial for leaking investigation information on late actor Lee Sun-kyun, who died while under investigation for drug use charges, has been sentenced to a one-year prison term with a two-year suspension.

On the 18th, Incheon District Court's Criminal Division No. 14 (Judge Gong Woo-jin) sentenced Investigator A, a member of the Incheon District Prosecutors' Office who was prosecuted without detention on charges including violation of official secrets, to one year in prison with a two-year probation period.

The court stated, "Although Investigator A was not the investigator directly handling the case against Mr. Lee, as a Prosecution Service investigator working at Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, he was able to obtain investigation information." The court further added, "Since the information pertained to Investigator A's duties and the investigation, we can find him guilty of violating the crime of leaking business secrets."

During the trial process, Investigator A denied the charges, stating that rumors circulated within law enforcement authorities and that he obtained the information through other employees.

Regarding Investigator A's alleged violations of the Personal Information Protection Act and the Act on Promotion of Digitalization of Criminal Justice Procedures, the court ruled that "most evidence was obtained without warrants, leading to insufficient evidence for conviction," but added, "This has little practical impact on sentencing." The court also noted, "As a Prosecution Service investigator, providing multiple pieces of information to journalists undermined public trust in law enforcement authorities. Additionally, obstructing the investigation by replacing personnel after the crime constitutes an aggravating circumstance."

However, the court explained that "there were no economic gains from the offense, and considering that Investigator A served as a Prosecution Service investigator for 12 years without disciplinary action and received commendations, these factors were taken into account as mitigating circumstances."

Previously, during the closing arguments held on June 12, the Prosecution Service requested a three-year prison sentence for Investigator A.

Investigator A was prosecuted in October 2023 for allegedly passing police internal investigation information regarding late Lee Sun-kyun's drug charges to Reporter B of a daily newspaper in Gyeonggi Province on two separate occasions.

Late Lee Sun-kyun was formally charged with drug-related offenses on October 14, 2023, and underwent three summonses for police investigation. He was later found collapsed in an SUV parked near Wolyong Park in Jongno-gu, Seoul, on December 27, 2023.

Following this, the Incheon National Police Agency, which had been investigating Lee Sun-kyun's drug allegations, requested the Gyeonggi Southern National Police Agency to look into how the investigation information was leaked. The Gyeonggi Southern National Police Agency subsequently conducted searches and seizures at the media outlet that first reported the case in 2024 and at Incheon District Prosecutors' Office, leading to the non-detained transfer of Investigator A and Reporter B for further investigation.

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*This content was translated by AI.